Chapter 240: Nine Zero: Spring Water Family Chapter 240: Xiyu, Didn't Expect It, Right, It's Me

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Protagonist:

Lin Xiyu

"Oh oh, so that's how it is."

Lin Xiyu suddenly understood: "No wonder Li Qing would invest, she's partial to the Entertainment City's development prospects, taking the opportunity to get a slice of the pie."

"This is only one of the reasons."

Guben smiled and prompted: "Marrying Wang Fan, becoming the legitimate Wang Tai, making his son the prosperous heir — that is the true purpose."

"She's playing a grand game of chess!"

Lin Xiyu listened with clicking wonder: "No wonder she willingly invested 3 billion, she's prepared to stake her whole life on this, right?"

"More or less."

Guben agreed in his heart: "Wanting Wang Fan to obediently accept defeat isn't easy, that kid spends lavishly, has a pile of girlfriends and mistresses, without some tactics Li Qing couldn't subdue him."

"Must she marry Wang Fan no matter what?"

Lin Xiyu couldn't understand Li Qing's thinking: "With the Li Family's power, even if their daughter had an illegitimate child, finding a suitable match to marry her would still be effortless? There are plenty of people wanting to curry favor with them, wanting to ascend to the heavens in one step, becoming the Son-in-law of the Dragon and Phoenix."

"Perhaps this is destiny."

Guben didn't answer directly, casually brushing it off with a sentence.

"You're becoming more and more like a charlatan."

Lin Xiyu found it amusing, laughed and teased him: "No matter what happens you attribute it all to fate."

"Don't you think some things are truly mysterious?"

Guben smiled faintly, reached out and hauled her over from the other end of the Sofa, gathering her into his embrace: "Two people who never met, from acquaintance to love, then marriage and children, in the dark it's as if a red string ties them, can't separate even if they want to, can't forget even if they want to, just like us two, separated for Five Years yet able to reunite, if not Heaven's favoritism, what else could it be?"

"Couldn't it be because I love you deeper?"

Lin Xiyu giggled and glared at him coquettishly: "The one you should thank isn't Heaven, it's me......"

"Hehe......"

Guben loved her tsundere little appearance extremely, couldn't help lowering his head and kissing her on the lips.

"You still haven't answered me."

Lin Xiyu was very displeased with his taking advantage of the opportunity, glared at him resentfully.

"Self-feeling......"

Guben stopped smiling, confessed seriously: "Should be that my love for you is more sincere? After all, in these Five Years I've been pure and clean, not a trace of amorous thoughts, but you're different, if Li Qing hadn't suddenly appeared, someone would have succeeded."

"Fine, you want to bring up old accounts?"

Lin Xiyu blew up, Crawl Up, glaring at him displeased.

"No."

Guben decisively denied.

"You are, you just are, denying is Useless."

Lin Xiyu pressed on relentlessly, pointing at his nose questioning.

"Alright, if you say it is then it is......"

Guben suddenly went back on his words, catching her Unexpected.

"You....."

Lin Xiyu choked, nearly bit her own Tongue.

"Hehe."

Guben couldn't hold back, laughed out loud.

"You dare laugh at me?"

Lin Xiyu flew into a shameful rage, pounced over to hammer him.

Guben went with the momentum and leaned back, holding her and falling together onto the Sofa.

Lin Xiyu couldn't stop in time, plunged headfirst, lips exactly covering his.

Both were a bit dazed.

When they reacted, a trace of Joking flashed in Guben's eyes.

Lin Xiyu was ashamed, Ear Roots red, abruptly lifted her head, wanting to break free and leave.

How would Guben give her a chance to escape, holding her he Turn over, and kissed her lips again.

Lin Xiyu blankly Struggled a few times, ashamed and angry coquettish scolding, soon submerged by the fiery kiss, disappearing into the tangled intimacy of confused emotions and infatuation.

——

Lin Xiyu never thought one day she would see Li Qing at the Old House.

Although the two were once close classmates, after experiencing so many things, their hearts inevitably had barriers.

The Afternoon Li Qing came to the door, she as always sat under the Pomegranate Tree in the Yard practicing Paper-cutting, the faint Knocking sound from outside the door attracted her attention.

Wang Meng's wife ever since her son followed her to learn English, every day would send fresh Vegetables and fruits to the house, unchanging as thunder.

She thought it was Sister-in-law Wang again, didn't think much, put down the Scissors, ran over to open the door.

"Xiyu, didn't expect it, right, it's me......"

The door opened, entering her sight was Li Qing's face identical to memory, not the slightest change.

"Li Qing? How come you're at my house? How did you find this place?"

Lin Xiyu's gaze condensed, a very uncomfortable feeling surged in her heart.

Even now she still cannot forget the scene from five years ago when Li Qing appeared before her with a child in tow.

Mother and son pretended to be pitiable and humble, begging her to leave Wang Fan, as if she truly were a shameless third party, drawing a crowd of onlookers.

"Guben told me......"

Li Qing's expression was the complete opposite of back then; with the bearing of a victor, she raised an eyebrow smugly: "He and I are allies now, even closer than his relationship with Wang Fan."

"Guben isn't home......"

Lin Xiyu didn't want to look at her smug smile, finding it a bit glaring: "He went to the vegetable market to buy vegetables; he won't be back for a while."

"I'm not here to find him, I'm here to find you......"

Li Qing pretended not to understand her rejection, stepped across the threshold herself, and walked into the yard with complete audacity.

"I have nothing to discuss with you."

Lin Xiyu's eyes showed displeasure, but for the sake of Guben's face, she didn't have the person driven out.

"Don't put it so heartlessly; we're classmates after all."

Li Qing looked around the small courtyard, her gaze settling with interest on the paper-cuttings under the pomegranate tree.

"You cut these? Not bad craftsmanship......"

She didn't care whether she was welcome or not, just talked to herself: "They look quite professional; when you have time, cut one for me too, I'll pay a high price......"

"Not for sale!"

Lin Xiyu's face darkened, and she snapped back without a second thought.

"Don't be so petty."

Li Qing walked over herself, bent down, picked a pair of paper-cuttings from the basket, pretended to admire them, and examined them closely: "You do paper-cutting to give it value, so someone will buy it, only then can it be monetized, letting your labor gain its equivalent value."

Lin Xiyu's eyes showed surprise: "Paper-cutting isn't just a means to support the family; it's also an art."

"Truly lofty."

Li Qing gave a couple of embarrassed laughs, then feigned annoyance: "Right, I was stupid, forgot your status is different now, you're a CEO's wife worth hundreds of millions."

"That's Guben's money, not mine."

Hearing her mention hundreds of millions in that tone, Lin Xiyu felt inexplicably stung.

As if mocking her for climbing the ladder through a man, a vase with only beauty and no ability.

"You really are lucky......"

Li Qing sighed softly: "Married such a good husband, capable and devoted, even I'm a bit envious."

"Aren't you marrying Wang Fan?"

Lin Xiyu frowned, her tone a bit sharp: "Then what are you doing here picking a fight? Whether Guben treats me well or not is none of your business."

"Tsk tsk, such a temper......"

Li Qing said sourly: "Mention Guben and you explode; you really do care about him. Five years ago when I showed up with my son and begged you to break up with Wang Fan, you weren't this irritable; you accepted it calmly. Looking back, you just didn't love deeply enough."

"What exactly do you want?"

Lin Xiyu didn't want to listen to her nonsense: "If there's nothing else, you can go; I have things to do, no time to deal with you."

"I came, naturally there's serious business......"

Li Qing not only showed no intention of leaving, but picked a small horse stool herself and sat down under the pomegranate tree.

"What business do you have?"

Lin Xiyu was quite speechless.

"You know, I'm getting married."

As she spoke, Li Qing took an invitation card from her shoulder bag and placed it in the winnowing basket holding the paper-cuttings: "This time I came to deliver invitations to you two; for this wedding, I don't care about others, but you and Guben must attend. Whatever past grievances, I hope Guben and Wang Fan, you and I, the four of us, can resolve our differences through this cooperation and be like back in university, able to talk about anything, inseparably close."

"Do you yourself think that's possible?"

Hearing this, Lin Xiyu instinctively found it rather ironic.

Guben helped Li Qing scheme against Wang Fan; although the Li family invested and solved his urgent crisis, the marriage wasn't his wish either.

It's already good he doesn't resent her; how could he willingly let bygones be bygones.

"Why wouldn't it work?"

Li Qing didn't feel her proposal was wrong at all.

"Don't you think you came to the wrong place?"

Lin Xiyu countered: "You shouldn't say this to me, you should say it to Wang Fan; you know better than me that he's the one with a thorn in his heart. You want to patch things up with him, don't drag me and Guben into it; your marital matter has nothing to do with us."

"Xiyu, perhaps my wording was inappropriate, causing a misunderstanding."

Li Qing feigned a frightened look, laughed embarrassedly, and explained: "I have no other meaning; I truly want to repair the four of us. I've thought it through thoroughly; Wang Fan's personality is too rash. If he can cooperate with Guben, a strong alliance, that would be most beneficial for both their future development."

"I haven't not tried to persuade him."

Lin Xiyu spoke frankly: "They've also tried cooperating again, but surface harmony doesn't mean they've truly let go in their hearts. When they meet they still look at each other with displeasure, tit for tat. I'm heartsick too; rather than that, better to avoid each other — at least it won't escalate conflicts and make their relationship worse."

"Your thinking is a bit too negative."

Li Qing came with a purpose and wouldn't give up until she achieved it: "Wang Fan turning danger into safety this time was entirely thanks to Guben mediating for him; his mindset has changed, he doesn't resent him like before. There's room for their relationship to turn around; it's just he's too proud to speak up, needs someone to push him from behind."

Lin Xiyu didn't believe it in her heart: "Did he tell you that, or are you guessing?"

"That guy thinks he's smart but is actually absurdly stupid."

Li Qing laughed very coldly: "His joy, anger, scolding — it's all on his face; no need to guess, one look tells you."

Lin Xiyu frowned: "Since you think he's stupid, why marry him."

Li Qing answered a question with a question: "What do you think it's for?"

Lin Xiyu blurted out without thinking: "Isn't it to patch things up?"

"Ten years, Xiyu, you still haven't changed, still fantasizing about love......"

Li Qing smiled meaningfully: "I'm different now; I've seen clearly — no man is reliable. To live with dignity, the key is money. Only money gives you the confidence to speak, and only money truly belongs to you, never betraying you."

"Since you see things so clearly, why get married at all?"

Lin Xiyu countered, "You clearly knew Wang Fan is a playboy, that he has more than one mistress, yet you still threw yourself in headfirst — and even so, you still think you're rational enough, qualified enough to mock me?"

"He is a playboy, that's true……"

Li Qing's eyes flickered slightly, giving an unexpected answer: "Likewise, he is also very capable; even my parents had to admit they had misjudged him — that good-for-nothing, unmotivated yellow-haired punk of a kid, in just a decade, riding the real estate boom, became a powerful big shot with formidable strength."

"You married him just for money?"

"If not for money, what else does he have that's worth my scheming for?"

"You don't lack money……"

Lin Xiyu felt a complex mix of emotions: "The money your parents earned is enough for you to spend a lifetime; why still marry for money?"

"You still don't understand……"

Li Qing smiled again: "A wealthy clan marriage alliance chooses not a partner but a business partner; strong allying with strong is the only way to go further — Dingsheng's crisis this time is a perfect example; even with a net worth over a hundred million, so what? It still collapses the moment it's said to; Wang Fan himself knows clearly that without my help he can't get past this hurdle, so no matter how unwilling, he can only accept it; those women outside, no matter how young and beautiful, cannot shake my status — the mistress of Dingsheng Group will only be me, and my son is the legitimate heir in every sense."

"Since you're this confident, why bother coming to us?"

Lin Xiyu pierced straight through her little scheme: "Talk about wanting the four of us to be as close as before — it's nothing but your own lack of confidence, wanting to fool us into helping you win back Wang Fan's heart and smooth things over with him."

"Guben and Wang Fan joining forces benefits them both."

Li Qing refused to admit she'd guessed right, still stiff-necked and arguing: "Guben left Shanghai for you, cooped up in this dilapidated old house; you can't not think for him a little, right? A man without a social circle might as well be ruining his own future."

"You speak as if you really care about him, but it's actually just for yourself……"

Lin Xiyu frowned, a trace of impatience rising again: "I've never stopped Guben, never kept him from going out to socialize; we both like a quiet life, feel that only this way is the most real, the most warm……"

"That's just your own idea, isn't it?"

Li Qing didn't believe it: "Men all have career ambition; not a single one is content with mediocrity — especially an outstanding man like Guben; wherever you put him he shines; his life should be full of challenges and opportunities; as long as there's a chance he can scale new peaks and achieve an extraordinary life."